after praising god, he (a) would supplicate by sending

ALI 381: Brief Explanation of Du'ā No. 2 from

Sahīfa Sajjādiyya

SESSION 1:

بعد هذا التحميد ( عليه السلام)وكان من دعائه(صلى الله عليه وآله)الصلاة على رسوله

After praising God, he (a) would supplicate by sending blessings upon God’s Messenger (s)

ALI 381: Explanation of Dua 2 from the Sahifa

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Interesting articles on the SahīfaRead the following articles during the course. You will find them interesting & highly beneficial; they talk about the circumstances that led to the compilation of the work.

1. A H Sheriff, “Saheefa Al-Kamilah: The Perfect Epistle” from The Light magazine, available at:

https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ALI-201-Intro-Sheriff.pdf

2. “Introduction to Al-Sahifa by the martyred Imam Āyatullāh Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr, available at: https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Sahifa-Intro-Sadr.pdf

3. Seyyid Saeed Akhatar Rizvi, “The Illustrious Imamat-period of Imam Zaynal ‘Abidin,” found online at:

www.al-islam.org/al-serat/Illustrious.htm


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https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ALI-201-Intro-Sheriff.pdf

https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Sahifa-Intro-Sadr.pdf

http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/Illustrious.htm

Beautiful recitations of the Du'ās

with Urdu translations

Click on the Du'ā you would like to listen.

https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-

content/uploads/2016/10/Sahifa_Sajjadijja_Recitation-1-to-

54.pdf

Dua 2 Rasool e Akram par Duroodo Salaam (AL-SAHIFAT AL-

SAJJADIYYA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7N0QD5Be3Q&feature

=player_detailpage#t=2

ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS: To this day, the Sahīfa

Sajjādiyya has been translated into English only twice. Once

in 1930s by Ahmad Muhani from Lucknow and in 1984 by

William C. Chittick. We will provide both translations for

you to understand the passages well

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https://www.academyofislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sahifa_Sajjadijja_Recitation-1-to-54.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7N0QD5Be3Q&feature=player_detailpage#t=2

Important points from A H Sheriff1. A researcher accepted Islam due to Sahīfa. Her observation: no

other book would surpass this as it contained the supreme possible human

approach towards the Creator Allah.

2. Quotation from Shaykh al-Islam Tantawi of Egypt. His remarks: I

was deeply impressed by the value and magnificence of these invocations. I wonder

how the Muslims have all along been ignorant of such a valuable treasure. They

have been in deep slumber for these centuries. They could not even feel that Allah

has supplied them with such a precious store of knowledge.

3. Gift from the 12th Imam (af): In a dream once, the Allāmah requested

the 12th Imam for a gift of a book from which he could constantly benefit. The

Imam recommended Sahīfa telling him that it was a gift from him and he should

go and collect the book from a person named at a particular place. Allāmah

confirms that in accordance with the advice of the Imam, he collected the Sahīfa

from which he benefited a great deal in his exercises of self-purification. The

book was cherished as an invaluable gift from the Imam and circulated round

among the believers of the place.

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Hadiths on SalawātWe are all aware of Quranic verse 33:56 in Which Allah says that He and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who have faith! Invoke blessings on him and invoke Peace upon him in a worthy manner.

Holy Prophet (s): Wherever you may be, invoke blessings on me for verily your blessings reaches me.

The invocation of blessings on me is a light on the Sirāt.

Whoever invokes blessings on me, writing it on a paper, the angels continue to seek forgiveness on his behalf as long as my name remains written on the paper.

Verily the most miserly of people is he who hears my name mentioned and does not invoke blessings on me.

Imam Ali (a): Every supplication remains veiled [unanswered] until blessings are invoked on the Prophet.

(The Scale of Wisdom, pp. 644 & 45)

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Passage 1 from Du'ā 2 نا ب د لله الهذي منه علي ح مح عليحه وآله دون حمهد نبي ه صلهى الله والحمم الحماضية والحقرون السهالفة رته الهت ل ت عح الح ء وإنح جز عنح شيح ، بقدح

ء وإنح لطف عظم، ول ي فوت ها شيح Chittick: Praise belongs to God who was kind to us through Muhammad (God bless him and his Household) to the exclusion of past communities and bygone generations, displaying thereby His power, which nothing can render incapable, though it be great, and nothing can escape, though it be subtle.

Muhani: Praise be to God, who favored us with Muhammad,

may the peace and mercy of God be upon him and his Āl (family), in preference to the past nations and bygone centuries, with His Power which fails in nothing, however great, and from which nothing escapes, however small it be.

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Notes on passage 1 The first sentence is similar to what we find in

Q 3:164 where Allah says: Certainly did Allah

confer [great] favor upon the believers when

He sent among them a Messenger from

themselves, except that in the verse

Muhammad is referred to as a Messenger

(rasūl) and in the Du‘ā he is referred to as a

Prophet (nabī). The Imam invokes Divine

blessings (salawāt ) on the Prophet and his

family – a practice which unfortunately

many Muslims have discontinued. It was a

special favor on this ummah that Allah preferred it over past nations and people.

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Notes on passage1 cont. Commissioning Prophet Muhammad

required the great Divine Power (qudrah)

which nothing can frustrate, and from

which nothing can escape however small

or subtle it may be. To be part of

Prophet’s ummah is better than to be

follower any other previous prophet. We

have been asked to thank Allah for 4

blessing every morning. One of them is

being part of the ummah of Prophet

Muhammad (s). So we say regularly:

الهذي جعلني من امه الحمد لله ة محمهد صلىه الله Question: what are the other .عليه و آله three blessings?

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Passage 2 from Du'ā 2 يع منح ذرأ، وج حد، وكث هرن علنا شهداء على منح ج فختم بنا على ج

بن ه على منح قله

Chittick: He sealed through us all He created, appointed

us witnesses over those who deny, and increased us by

His kindness over those who are few.

Muhani: So He made us the final ones among all His

creatures and appointed us witnesses against those who

denied Him. By His Grace, He multiplied us over those

that were few.


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Notes on passage 2 Allah (swt) created us at the end of His

creations which enabled us to witness the

outcome of those who belied, challenged

and denied the previous prophets. We have

with us so many interesting and lesson

deriving examples to learn and change from

the events and stories of the Past prophets.

Allah says in the Quran. See for example Q

11:49, 12:109; 30:9, 42.

Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the

end of those before them? They were greater than them in power,

and they plowed the earth and built it up more than they have built

it up, and their messengers came to them with clear evidences.

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Passage No. 3 from Du'ā 2 يبك منح اللههمه فصل على ممهد أمينك يك، ون خلحقك، على وحح

ت وصفي ك منح عبادك، إمام الرهححة ح، ومفح ح د ا اح الحب ركة ، وقا

Chittick: O God, bless Muhammad, entrusted by You

with Your revelation, distinguished by You among Your

creatures, devoted to You among Your servants, the

imam of mercy, the leader of good, the key to blessing,

Muhani: Therefore O God, bless Muhammad and the

descendants of Muhammad, the trustee of Your

Inspiration, the elect of Your creatures, the chosen one

from Your servants, the master of grace, the leader of

goodness, the key of affluence,

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Notes on passage 3 - 1 Now the Imam enumerates the great qualities of

Prophet Muhammad (s). (1) He was trustful regarding

Divine revelation; that is why all Muslims believe that

the Holy Quran is the verbatim word of Allah – nothing

has been missed out, nor has the Prophet added

anything from himself. When the revelation was stopped

for some time, the enemy gloated over it and used to say

that his God is upset with him. The Prophet still did not

add anything from himself, instead he waited until Allah

responded to the propaganda by revealing: By the

morning brightness, by the night when it is calm! Your Lord has

neither forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you (Q 94: 1-3).

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Notes on passage 3 - 2 (2) Prophet Muhammad was a distinguished and select

from His creation. Although he was a human being, but

he possessed great and unmatchable qualities, the like of

which has never been witnessed. ‘Allāmah Tabātabā’ī

states in his book Sunan an-Nabī, “Indeed, following in

his (i.e. Prophet Muhammad) footsteps and adopting his

traits is the true perfection and final goal and it is this

that one can achieve success in this world and the next”

(p. vii). (3) Chosen due to his devotion from among the

servants of God. (4) The imam of mercy who was sent

as mercy to all the worlds (Q 21:107). (5) The leader of the

good and virtue who should be followed in all aspects of

life style for he is the best model and exemplar for those who

look forward to Allah and the Last Day (Q 33:21).

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Notes on passage 3 - 3 (6) The key to Divine blessings. Even as a child he

attracted God’s blessings and bounties. We read in

the books of Sīrah, “from the very day he entered

Halima’s house, good fortune and blessings entered

with him. Her life, which had been filled with poverty

and destitution, suddenly changed into a happy and

prosperous one. The pale faces of Halima and her

children became rosy and full of life. Her dry breasts

swelled with milk, and the pasture of the sheep and

camels of the region turned fresh and green (A

Glance at the Life of the Holy Prophet of Islam, p. 21).

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Simple Quiz on the Sahīfa 1.What is the meaning of Al-Sahīfa al-Sajjadiyya?

2.Why is also known as Al-Sahīfa al-kamilah?

3. Give other three honorific titles given to this book?

4. How many Du'ās are included in the Sahīfa?

5. Why is it that some of the sites and publications only

include 54 supplication in the Sahīfa?

6. Which Du'ās are recited regularly from the Sahīfa?

7. Which Sahīfa Du'ās are recited during Holy Ramadan?

8. What did the author do to ensure that the book

reaches the Shī'ah world?

9. The experts of Hadith believe that the Sahīfa is

mutawatir. What is meant by this?

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after praising god, he (a) would supplicate by sending

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